Former Dancing with the Stars contestant Jewel used her husband’s MySpace page on April 29 to express disappointment that injured hoofer Melissa Rycroft was allowed to compete during a rehearsal and not an actual performance this week. Jewel, along with Access Hollywood’s Nancy O’Dell, were forced to leave the ABC show before it even began this season due to injuries.
"I think the rule about judging a rehearsal if the person is too injured to perform was weird both times they have used it," Jewel wrote on the page. (Steve-O was the other contestant who was allowed to compete under the special rule.) "As bad as I felt for Melissa, who I hope feels better and comes back, I’m used to our cowboy athletes that live by the rule: ‘ride hurt or don’t get a score.’ It may seem harsh, but it seems like the only way to keep things honest.
"I know there are all kinds of ways to doing things and it sure is out of my control –- that’s for sure –- so I’m happy to follow along as it is," continued Jewel. "But I have to say I think the [Professional Bull Riders] has kept a lot of integrity in sports by using this rule."
Insiders say the rule allowing contestants to compete during a rehearsal has been place for some time but hasn’t been enforced until this season. Rycroft, who suffered a hairline fracture of the ribs, was ultimately spared this week while Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough were eliminated from the competition.
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That’s a nasty thing to say to someone with a hairline fracture. What business is it of hers? and whats she trying to accomplish? Having people compete with great injuries just to stay on the show? That’s good sportmanship. This isn’t the NFL. It’s dancing with the stars, for gods sake. Jewel was injured before the competition even began, not halfway through it. I’m glad Rycroft stayed.
Geez, Bitchy much Jewel? Where was all this talk of bull riding integrity b-llsh-t when this exact same scenario happened with Steve-O a few weeks back? Where was you’re big mouth then Jewel?
I thinks she’s absolutely right. What competition is there where you get to stay around if you are unable to compete? It’s a shame she got hurt, but its not fair to the other contestants who are actually performing!!
It’s not fair to her to ask her to leave when Steve-O wasn’t asked to leave when he was in the same situation. So if you folks to leave when they are injured and can’t compete, then it’ll have to start NEXT season. You can’t just change the rules in the middle of a competition…what competition changes the rules for specific contestants?
I totally agree with you, Jewel. If you can’t compete, you shouldn’t get scored. Like in tennis, even if you’re winning, if you get injured and have to pull out of the game you automatically forfeit the match. Steve-O should have been allowed to leave the show without repercussion so he could heal and then come back in a later season. Are these people seriously risking their health just to compete for a plastic trophy? As a result, Chuck went home despite getting a 26 from the judges because of viewer votes? He should have automatically moved on to next week and Melissa forced to pull out.
If both Steve-O and Melissa both were to get no score the week they got hurt then obviously they would be eliminated that week so why even have the show at all that week? What are they going to do during elimination night? The way it’s set up now is the only way to go, especially since the judges still place the person with the injury in last place and let America decide…
To be fair, this article cuts out a whole bunch of other stuff that Jewel wrote to make her sound harsher than she was.
It’s pretty simple: it’s all about money and filling a certain number of show weeks. If injured contestants were eliminated outright, they’d loose a whole weeks worth of show and advertising dollars. It may not honor true “sportsmanship”, but it fills up 12-13 weeks of +20 million in viewership and that
s good enough for ABC, and I don’t blame them at all.
I am sure that the show has some liability if a contestant dances injured and then injures himself or herself even more. I don’t know what else Jewel had to say, but at least it wasn’t her husband who left this week. And the fact is, Ty has no chance at all to win, even though he has improved a lot. So Melissa remaining in the competition doesn’t affect his chances.
Jewel wasn’t asked to leave – she was unable to compete. Many other stars have left in the middle of the season who couldn’t compete for more than 1 show. Both Steve-O and Melissa were only going to be out 1 week, so they let them continue. Jewel broke both her legs – there was no way she was even able to rehearse!
GregB has a real point. I mean Melissa obviously was hurt THE DAY OF THE SHOW. HOURS BEFORE SHOW TIME. How exactly was the show supposed to handle the huge hole in the show that would have happened if the decided not to air her rehearsal package and rehearsal performance?
Still the whole thing is ridiculous. If they didn’t ask Steve-O to leave and they allowed him to be judged on his rehearsal footage, then that should be entirely acceptable for Melissa. Jewel should shut her mouth.
What happens if Melissa can’t dance this week? There is always that possibility.
Furthermore, the viewers have the final say, if they don’t want someone on the show they don’t have to vote for them. Obviously, Melissa has the support which suggests people WANT to see her on the show. The same goes for Ty, Jewel’s husband who is the WEAKEST dancer in the competition…but has stayed because of viewer votes. Talk about that Jewel. Open your big, snaggle-tooth mouth and talk about that.
From what I hear she was in a LOT of pain — and if she did dance — she probably would still get the lowest scores of the evening.
Wow, I didn’t know Jewel was such an arrogant snot. Jewel, hate to break it to you, but this is NOT a cowboy competition. It’s a dance competition. Different competition, different rules. Don’t like it? Then don’t play the game.
Seriously, Jewel? That came across so utterly bitter and ridiculous that your actually upset Melissa got to compete. Well guess what..she’s good enough for the finals too!
Greg B said
“It’s pretty simple: it’s all about money and filling a certain number of show weeks. If injured contestants were eliminated outright, they’d loose a whole weeks worth of show and advertising dollars. It may not honor true “sportsmanship”, but it fills up 12-13 weeks of +20 million in viewership and that
s good enough for ABC, and I don’t blame them at all.”
That is a pretty good assessement. Once the show begins, they have legal and financial considerations to consider. Remaining in the competition once it has begun is not the same as elimination for injury before they get started. What would they do if 4 people suffered some type of injury and none could go on for 2 weeks?
I see where everyone is coming from on this. First of all, there was a lot more of Jewel’s blog then what’s on here.I understand where Jewel is coming from because it’s true in most sports if you can’t compete then your out. On the other hand Dancing with the Stars is a TV show and if they didn’t let Melissa get a score or quit then this week would have been pointless. I don’t know how bad Melissa’s injury is, but was she really too hurt to compete. I remember Holly had a rib injury but she perservered and did her dance. So part of me just thinks Melissa wanted some sympathy votes. I hope this doesn’t come in to play with next week’s votes because this is a silly arguement especially since Melissa and Ty both have a good shot of being the next 2 eliminated. Lil Kim is the best dancer, Shawn has the biggest fan base. So it comes down to Melissa, Ty, and Gilles for the final spot in the finals.
Folks,
If you bothered to actually ‘listen’ to what they said – it wasn’t the rib injury – it was a reaction to the medication they gave her.
Folks,
If you bothered to actually ‘listen’ to what they said – it wasn’t the rib injury – it was a reaction to the medication they gave her.
What I hate is reporters who only tell part of the story. Read the whole blog here: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=456785491&blogId=486154306 and I tend to agree with her. The whole Dance Off thing was a joke and letting the judges score on a rehersal where you KNOW they are not putting in their best effort is a bit of a joke. And if you watched Melissa on Tuesday night, her reactions through the whole night and especially at the end, she knew she should have bowed out and saved Chuck. There wasn’t/isn’t even a guarantee she can dance this week. She was crying at the end of the show and not once did she smile through the show. She knew what the right to do was, she chose not to do it and as a result another really good, healthy dancer got sent home. If you’re going to tell a story, tell the WHOLE story.
I think that the only reason why Melissa got to stay was because they didn’t want her to get rejected twice on national tv and people only vote for her because of Pity about the way she got dumbed on tv the first time. She should have went home, a fractured rib doesn’t heal in a week and what happens if she can’t dance next week, then someone went home for no reason.
As much as I hated to see Julianne go, I was happy to see Ty stay on. As for Melissa, I broke my ribs in football and could hardly breath for 4 weeks let alone raise my airs or legs above my head. If she can make it to the final, more power to her. Why take Jewel seriously? She is just a singer that has a hardass for a husband. Go Melissa!
Melissa is better looking than Jewel, she’s just jealous because Melissa have a chance to reach the final’s
Jewel makes a good point.But those are the show rules, so be it.
It was time for Chuck Wicks to go anyway. He didn’t win over enough fan support, and he brought nothing to the show. Melissa is obviously a fan favorite since their votes saved her.